Every Story Is A Love Story
by bounceeffortandsnark
Summary: She was perfect. Absolutely perfect. Bathed in the golden morning light and fast asleep in his arms. Sure, she was a brighter shade of pink than the blanket she was swaddled in, and less than an hour ago he'd watched her practically rip her mother apart, but she was perfect. / Ch 10 - Beck realises it may be possible to love something more than he loves Jade.
1. She Just Knows

**A/N: This is the first one shot in a compilation series. It's going to be updated sporadically because I'm mainly focusing on a multi chapter fic at the minute and just writing this while I have writer's block on the other. It should mostly be in chronological order but I make no promises. Hope you like it! Remember to review!**

Jade had always thought it was bullshit that people could just _know_. But she was staring at the white porcelain of the toilet bowl, kneeling on the cold linoleum of her trailer bathroom, and she swore to God she just _knew_.

Thinking back on it, that wasn't the first indication. She'd been more tired than usual lately, she was actually heading back to her trailer between for a nap before she went out for dinner. The cast had gone out for dinner a couple weeks ago to celebrate the beginning of a new season, and the food she'd ordered had tasted vile to her, but fine to Beck, but she'd figured it was just however they'd seasoned it. She was bloated, but she'd put that down to her not eating so well lately, grabbing fast food because she didn't have time to cook.

This was not what they'd planned. So far in their lives, everything had gone pretty much exactly as they'd planned. They were well-known, but not exactly household names. They had a steady and considerable income – Beck was working on indie movies in the breaks between seasons, and until last year Jade had been working on two shows a year. They had married at twenty-one, just as they'd said when they first got engaged in their senior year of high school. But kids were meant to come later. For one thing, they'd agreed that they would finish the last season of their show before they thought about it. For another, Jade had always maintained she wanted to be at least twenty-five before she had kids, she wanted time to establish herself in her career before she had to put it aside to raise a family.

They'd been extraordinarily lucky this far. They'd have to be extremely arrogant not to know that. Jade had been cast in a teen show on the CW straight out of high school, and Beck had gotten a small part in a blockbuster movie. The next year they were cast in a Netflix show, both as main characters, and were signed on for six years. Beck was already lining a project up for next year, after they wrapped the last season of the show. There were rumours Jade was being looked at to play Veronica in the movie adaptation of Heathers the Musical. A baby wasn't in their plan for the immediate future. A baby was a spanner in the works.

She hid her face when she went to the drug store, just in case. She took the test in a public bathroom on set. The last thing she needed was for this to get back to Beck before she told him. It wasn't that she didn't want to tell him, she just wanted to be sure before she did.

She felt like she was going to suffocate within the tall plastic walls of the cubicle. They were looming over her, getting closer and closer. It was one of the longest five minutes of her life. And then her phone buzzed. The time was up. The pregnancy test had been sitting face-down on top of the trash can by the toilet. She took a deep breath and picked it up.

Positive.

It was positive. She was pregnant. She was going to have a _baby_. Right now, there was a whole other _person_ inside of her. The test dated the pregnancy at five weeks. In thirty-five weeks, there was going to be a human being in the world, that wouldn't have been there if not for her and Beck. _Shit_.

Jade's character in the show had been pregnant last season, but Jade knew that in real life pregnancy was nothing like that. It was ugly and messy. And unplanned. Her character wasn't pregnant this season. The producers wouldn't be happy when her belly got too big to hide. Her character in her other show, which was shot in Virginia, was still meant to be a teenager. Producers on that were going to be pissed. Her sister had recently gotten engaged and now she was going to look like a whale at the wedding. There was no way she'd be cast in Heathers now. They were living in England while they filmed the show, the producers had wanted to shoot on location, instead of on manufactured sets. She didn't want her baby to be born in England. Their apartment was only a one bedroom, they hadn't needed anything bigger until now. They were going to have to deal with the stress of moving on top of the stress of being pregnant with their first child.

But she was getting ahead of herself. The first thing she had to do was tell Beck. He was filming tonight, though, probably into the little hours of the morning. She was meant to be going out to dinner with one of her co-stars. They likely wouldn't see each other until the next morning. She could go to him and ask to talk to him for a minute. But if she interrupted filming people would want to know why. There would be rumours. She wanted this to be just theirs for a while. A tiny, perfect thing that only they knew about. She had wanted that with their engagement, too, but she hadn't been able to bear taking her ring off once she finally got it on her finger.

Their lives were going to change, there was no two ways about it. But underneath all her panic and doubt, Jade really was happy about it. They had always wanted children. Jade had a big family, her siblings had been her rock throughout her childhood. Beck had always been kind of jealous of that, he confessed. When he had problems with his parents there wasn't really anyone to talk to that could empathise, he was their only child. They wanted three, they'd decided. She couldn't remember now why they'd settled on that number, it was so long ago. Probably it was enough for their kids to have that kind of camaraderie, but not so many it would be hard to handle.

Beck would be thrilled. She knew that. But how to tell him? She didn't want to make a huge deal out of it, a candlelit dinner with the positive test in a little box with a bow. Beck's proposal had been casual but perfect. She wanted her announcement to be the same.


	2. Through Good and Bad

**I originally wasn't going to upload this for a while, but I have something to celebrate today so here you go! Would you believe I actually cried writing this? Consider that your warning. It's sad. I said in the last chapter that this would mostly be in chronological order, but this chapter comes before the last. Woops. Reviews are, as always, greatly appreciated. Hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

It was after midnight and they were laying on Beck's bed in the RV in the middle of a Netflix marathon when Jade's pillow started to buzz. Jade usually stuck her phone under there when she plugged it in to charge. Beck looked across at her when Jade made no move to pick it up.

'It's probably just the phone company or some shit,' she said, rolling her eyes.

'I don't think the phone company is in the habit of calling people at this time of night, babe.'

But just as Jade began to huff and puff and sit up, it stopped. He couldn't blame her for not having the energy to care about whoever was calling. They had sat their last exam that morning, and this was the first time they had to relax in what felt like forever. The entire month before they'd been studying and hastening to finish their senior projects, it had taken up their every waking moment, and Beck swore he'd dreamt about it more than once. They'd had a pizza delivered because they couldn't be bothered making food, and they pretty much hadn't moved from the bed since they got back that afternoon. Although their first activity was far more high energy.

Jade groaned when it began buzzing again. She sat up slightly, bending her arm at an awkward angle as she tried to fish her phone out without sitting up the whole way. The bright light of the screen, even on its dullest setting, hurt Beck's eyes. Even so, he glanced at it to see who had disturbed them. On the screen there was a photo of a young man, probably early thirties, with a mop of light brown curly hair, grinning widely. It was Jade's brother, Hunter.

Beck knew he was in Los Angeles on vacation, or at least that's how he'd sold it to his husband and kids, he'd neglected to mention the business meetings he had three out of the five days they were here. He and Jade were meant to be going to lunch with him and his family the next day. Beck couldn't imagine why he'd be calling Jade at this hour. The girls' bedtime was hours ago, and Hunter and Connor weren't exactly night owls.

He wasn't paying much attention to the phone call, until he felt Jade's nails dig in to his arm. He looked up to see all of the blood had drained out of her face. She was ghostly pale, and he watched in horror as her eyes filled with water. It was only then that he noticed that the voice on the other end of the line sounded frantic. He couldn't make out the words, but from the look on his fiancee's face, he feared the worst.

Jade's mouth opened, as though she was trying to say something, but no noise came out. she was nodding her head frantically, seemingly unaware of the futility of the gesture. Finally, she managed to choke out, 'Yeah. Yeah, I'll be right there.'

* * *

Beck had insisted on driving, Jade was in no fit state. She still hadn't told him what was going on, merely whispering the word 'hospital' as she climbed into the passenger side of Beck's truck. Jade didn't say a word the whole ride there, just stared blankly straight ahead. When they pulled into the parking lot she didn't respond when Beck cut the engine. He got out of the truck and walked over to open the passenger side door for her. She started when she felt Beck's hand on her arm.

'We're here. Come on,' he said gently. He took her hand as they walked into the hospital. Every memory he had of this place was a bad one. There was the time his dad had been attacked by the dog Jade got him, the blood had soaked through his bandages by the time Beck arrived. Then there was the time he and Jade had had to talk Cat out of a mental ward when they'd brought Rex there to die. The worst time was when Jade's appendix had ruptured. They were broken up at the time, but they'd all slept at Tori's after staying up late to work on a script. They'd woken to the sound of Jade's screams, she explained later she'd had a horrible nightmare brought on by the pain. They'd called an ambulance, but when they got to the hospital nobody would tell them anything because they weren't relatives. Beck had never felt so helpless.

The bright fluorescent lights reflecting off the stark white walls and floor combined with the sterile smell of disinfectant seemed to wake Jade up. She walked briskly to the front desk, pushing aside the woman speaking to the receptionist. 'Connor Pemberton-West.'

The receptionist smiled calmly, though her eyes told a different story. 'I'm sorry, Miss, you'll have to wait until I deal with this lady's query.' The other woman tried to step in front of Jade once more. Jade slammed both her hands down on the desk.

'My brother-in-law is dying. I need to know where he is. Connor Pemberton-West.' Her voice was practically a growl by the end.

The receptionist relented, and then they were running toward the elevator. Once inside, Beck finally plucked up the courage to ask what had happened. Jade said nothing, tapping her foot on the floor and drumming her fingernails on the rail.

'Jade, I don't want to have to ask in front of Hunter.'

Jade sniffed. The tears had yet to spill over, but he could see they weren't far off. 'Drunk driver. Connor was hit. Hunter says it doesn't look good.' Her voice was no more than a breath. The doors dinged open, and Jade seemed to steel herself.

Hunter was sitting on a blue bench with his head in his hands. Beck had never seen him look anything less than immaculate. He was a high power defence attorney and he looked the part. Beck had only ever seen him with his hair neatly styled, in a three piece suit, more often than not carrying a briefcase. Now, he sat, his hair dishevelled, wearing blue striped pyjama pants and a white t-shirt. He wore what looked like hotel-issue slippers on his feet.

He looked up when he heard Jade call out his name. His face was sallow and his eyes were red and bloodshot. He didn't say anything, just dropped his head back into his hands, elbows braced on his knees. Jade sat down in the seat next to him and hesitantly placed her hand on his back. Beck sat next to her, unsure of what to do. He'd only met Hunter a handful of times, and his husband only once. He felt like he was intruding. At one point, he made to get up, thinking he might fetch them coffee or something, but Jade put her hand on his knee to stop him.

They'd been there an hour or so when the doctor came out of the operating room. Connor was dead. The tears spilled over.

* * *

The funeral was a large occasion. Everything with Jade's family tended to be. Her father's stony expression betrayed no emotion, but Beck thought perhaps the set of his jaw was tighter than usual. Her stepmom was crying, dabbing prettily at her eyes with the handkerchief from Mr West's suit pocket, and Beck heard her talking later about what a beautiful ceremony it was. Hunter looked like he could just as well be the corpse in the coffin.

It was a closed casket, Connor's body was too messed up from the accident. He wouldn't have wanted to be seen like that. But it meant that at the hotel after, where everyone met for a drink and a meal to reminisce, Beck and Jade were met with some awkward questions.

Jade had been kind of out of it since the phone call. She'd been close to Connor, and Hunter and the kids. She visited them every weekend. Every Friday after school Beck dropped her off at her dad's house, where she picked up her car and made the six hour drive to her brother's house in Sacramento. She spent the weekend with them and on Sunday nights she drove back. He'd gone with her once or twice, so Hunter's daughter knew him.

Aria waddled up to Jade's chair, nobody was paying particular attention to her, her dad was far too wrapped up in his own head, and Ryan, Jade's sister, was cradling the baby in her arms. 'Aunt Jay-Jay?' piped up the little voice, as her chubby fists tugged on Jade's skirt. Jade looked down, her face softening, her eyes filling with tears once more.

'What is it, baby girl?' she asked, pulling her niece up to sit on her lap.

'Who was in the box?' Beck and Jade both sucked in a breath. 'They kept saying Daddy's name, but I saw Daddy the other day, he's not sick or old.' She looked up at them both so earnestly, as though she had to convince them that this was all some mistake, her daddy was young and healthy, so he couldn't be dead. Beck felt a lump form in his throat.

'I'm sorry.' Jade stifled a sob. Watching the tears fall down her aunt's face, Aria finally seemed to realise it was real. She lifted a hand up to wipe the salt water from Jade's cheeks.

Aria was only four years old. She'd been with Connor and Hunter since she was barely a month old. They'd adopted another little girl only two months ago. Caly lay oblivious, in Ryan's arms, probably asleep. She would never know Connor. Maybe one day Aria would forget him, too. The details first, then the bedtime stories he told her, until one day she couldn't remember what he looked like.

Beck pulled Jade into his chest, Aria still in her arms, and the two girls began to sob.


	3. Tiny Footsteps

**A/N: This was written in about half an hour. You have been warned. I'm not super happy with the ending but it really wasn't coming naturally.**

* * *

Beck was walking through the door of his and Jade's apartment when he heard the pitter-patter of tiny footsteps. Seconds later, was greeted by a tiny puppy bounding towards him, wagging its tail excitedly. He laughed in surprise when it jumped up on him, front paws barely reaching his knees.

'Uh, babe?' he called out, closing the door behind him before the puppy could dash out into the hall. 'Jade? Are you there?' He walked through to the living room, the puppy trotting along at his heels. Jade wasn't there. What was there, was a dog bed and a lot of chew toys. 'Jade?!' No answer. He snapped a photo of the puppy and texted it to Jade, along with a row of question marks.

A few minutes later, he got a reply. 'You met our new daughter!' it said. What the hell? So, Jade got a puppy without telling him, and then left it home alone. Moments later though, Jade emerged from the bathroom. She was bare-faced, her hair tied up in a high ponytail, in sweats and one of his t-shirts. She was beautiful, of course, but it was unusual for her. Jade usually kept her makeup and hair done perfectly until she had to go to bed.

'You got a dog?' he asked, raising his eyebrows so high they practically reached his hairline.

Jade grinned mischievously as she walked toward him, reaching her hands out to take his. 'I thought it was time we expanded our little family. You know, get used to it not just being us.'

Beck smiled. He wasn't actually angry. This kind of spontaneous gesture was so like his wife. And this was a lot better than the first time she tried to get him a dog, no one was getting mauled. They'd talked about getting a dog ever since they moved in, but for one reason or another, they'd never actually gotten around to it.

The couple sat down on the black leather sofa and the dog hopped up to curl up next to Jade. 'So does she have a name?' Beck asked, reaching over Jade's knee to scratch the dog between her too-large ears. Jade's wicked grin was all the answer he needed.

'Tizzy.'

'Tizzy? How very unlike you.'

'Short for Tisiphone, one of the furies of Hades, the Greek god who was king of hell.' That explained her grin. Little known fact about Jade: she was a Greek mythology nut. She had been since she was a kid, spending all her time in the library reading books on it, trying to get away from her parents' fighting. It had even inspired her nieces' names, when she'd told her brother about her favourite myths.

'So, you just suddenly decided it was time to expand the family?' he asked, later that evening as they were sitting down to dinner.

'Well, I thought we should probably get some experience taking care of an actual living thing before the baby comes.' Wait, what?! 'Especially since we both know how _great_ you were with your fish,' she continued sarcastically, as though she hadn't just dropped a huge bombshell.

Did he hear that right? Did Jade just say they were having a baby? It takes a few minutes for the news to compute. The silence stretches on. Beck trying to get a grip on his spinning thoughts and Jade smiling at him, trying to keep herself from laughing at the stunned look on his face.

Tizzy was looking up at him, her front paws on his knees as he sat at the kitchen table, head cocked to the side in confusion. 'You- You're pregnant?' he asks, softly. Feeling as though any noise was too loud in the moment.

Jade just nodded, her smile widening.

Beck stood abruptly, walking round the table. Jade stood to greet him, and he swept her into his arms, picking her up off the floor and spinning her round. They both laughed, clinging to each other. He smashed his lips against hers, kissing her hard, trying to convey how incredibly happy he was in that one gesture.

When they finally pulled away, Beck still had that stunned expression on his face. 'We're having a baby.'

Jade laughed, nodding. 'Yeah, we are. In about eight months, actually.' Beck kissed her again. And again, and again. They stood there in the kitchen forever, their dinner cold and forgotten, until the moment was ruined - when Tizzy started peeing on the floor.

'I probably should have made sure she was house trained, huh?'

Beck glared. 'Yes.'


	4. Second Impressions

**A/N: I got a new job this week, so I don't have as much time on my hands as I used to. I haven't read over this so if you notice something wrong let me know. To the guest who requested I write about Jade's appendix thing, I have started it, but I'm not sure when I'll get it finished. When I do post it, it's likely to be a separate one shot, because I don't think it really fits with the theme of this story. If you notice anything that doesn't seem like something they'd say in America, please let me know. Hope you enjoy it! Remember to favourite/review and all that other fun stuff!**

'Jade? Babe, I texted my mom this morning and she says they're good to video chat tonight. You there?' Beck was walking in the door after walking Tizzy.

'In the living room!' Jade called back. Beck found her on her laptop, researching properties in LA. 'This is useless, how are we supposed to buy a house without viewing it?' Jade slammed her laptop shut, and patted the sofa next to her for Tizzy to come up for cuddles. 'Who's an adorable fluffy baby? It's you!' Beck bit his lip to keep from laughing, turning away from his wife to go into the kitchen and grab a beer out of the fridge. Jade could be really cute sometimes when she knew no one else would catch her.

'We've got time, babe. We'll be filming for the next six months and then we can always stay here another couple of months until the baby is born,' Beck reasoned, sitting down on the other side of Tizzy and scratching her ears.

'Oh, yeah, because house hunting will be much less stressful with a new-born,' Jade said sarcastically. 'And my baby is not being born in _Scotland._ ' Jade shuddered.

Beck laughed. 'I thought you liked it here? When are you planning to tell your dad?'

'I'm not.' Beck just looked at her. 'Well, it's not like he'll care. I'll tell Hunter and Ryan, obviously but my dad's not going to give a damn. He barely cares about Aria and Caly, and Hunter's his favourite kid.' She said all this nonchalantly, like it didn't bother her, but she wasn't meeting Beck's eyes. Her relationship with her father was better than it had been, but it still wasn't great. Mr West wasn't the warm and cuddly type, and he certainly wasn't a family man. 'When are we calling your parents?'

'They're calling us. Any time now, actually.' Just as the words left his mouth, an incoming video chat notification popped up on Jade's laptop screen. Beck was about to click 'accept' when Jade's hand darted out to stop him.

'Wait.' She bit her lip, focusing on tickling Tizzy's tummy. 'They'll be happy, right?' she finally met Beck's eyes and he could see how much this meant to her. His parents had originally disapproved of his relationship with Jade, and he knew she was worried they'd go back to that tense awkwardness if ever she did something they didn't like.

He smiled, taking her hand. 'Of course they will. It's their first grandchild. Mom wants ten, you know.' Jade's eyebrows raised, a look of alarm in her eyes. Beck clicked 'accept'.

'Hey Mom, hey Dad,' Beck greeted his parents with a big smile, he hadn't seen them since they moved back to Scotland last month, and hadn't spoken to them in two weeks.

'Hey,' Jade's voice was small, her smile weak. Beck nearly laughed.

His parents noticed Jade's obvious discomfort. 'Is everything okay?' Priya asked.

'Hey, Mom, how many grandkids do you want, again?' Beck asked, a mischievous glint in his eye.

'Um, I don't know, I'd certainly like a fair few. But you two don't need to worry about that for quite a while. Is that why you look so worried Jade? You're still young, dear, there's no rush.' She smiled reassuringly. She had been the first to warm up to Jade, seeing that she'd misjudged her, and she still felt bad for the years she'd treated her coldly.

'Actually, Mom,' Beck turned to Jade. 'Do you want to do the honours?'

'They're your parents, go ahead.' Jade began to smile.

'We're going to have a baby.' At last, Beck released the grin he'd been holding back since they began the call.

His parents' mouths stretched into wide smiles. 'Really? I'm going to be a grandfather?' Ian asked.

Jade smiled now, too. 'It's still early, but yeah. In eight months you'll have a grandchild.'

There had been a time when Priya had feared this news above all else. A baby meant a lifelong connection, and she hadn't wanted her son to be shackled to a girl like Jade. Not to mention she couldn't imagine Jade as a mother. She was brash and rude, she felt sorry for a child with a mother like that. But that was a long time ago. She hadn't known Jade then, not really. Now she knew her daughter-in-law would be a terrific mother, and she couldn't be happier for the young couple. Her eyes filled with tears.

 _Beck's father had arrived back from the airport with his grandmother fifteen minutes ago, but Jade still wasn't here. He was beginning to worry. He knew Jade had been nervous about meeting his grandmother for the first time, but he didn't think she'd just bail. He tried calling her._

 _'I don't care what you have to say.'_

 _He sighed. 'Hey, babe, it's me. Are you on your way? My grandma's here. You were meant to be here half an hour ago. Call me.'_

 _Another ten minutes passed, during which Beck dodged questions from his grandmother about where on earth that girlfriend she'd heard so much about was, and ignoring his mother's comments about how clearly Jade didn't care about him if she was just going to skip this without even calling first. Finally, Beck's phone lit up with a picture of Jade's face. It was one of his favourites, her blue eyes were crossed, her lips were pursed, and she was sticking her tongue out. It was the Jade only he got to see._

 _'Hey.'_

 _Her voice sounded distant through the phone. 'Hey. I'm so sorry. Hunter's ended up completely swamped with work and his sitter is on vacation, so he asked if I'd take the girls. - No, Aria, we don't draw on walls. – I'm not going to be able to make it. I really am sorry.'_

 _He believed her. He knew his mother would say it was foolish, but he knew there was nothing Jade wouldn't do for her brother and her nieces, even if it meant worsening his parents' already poor opinion of her. Still, he wanted her to meet his grandmother. He thought they'd get along, and maybe if they got along it would sooth the strain between Jade and his parents._

 _'Why don't you bring them?' he asked._

 _'Are you sure? I don't want to be a pain.' He could never understand why Jade's lack of caring about people's opinions of her didn't stretch to his parents. She was always worried about what they thought of her._

 _'Of course. Caly will just sleep, anyway, and I've missed Aria. My grandma loves kids. It'll be fine, I promise.' He could tell she still wasn't convinced. 'Please. For me.'_

 _That did it. She caved. 'I'll be there in twenty. Please, warn your mother I'm bringing a three year old.'_

 _'Will do. Love you.'_

 _She sighed. 'Love you, too.'_

 _Just under twenty minutes later the doorbell to the Oliver residence rang. Beck's mom answered the door, looking somewhat concerned. Jade looked frazzled. Her hair had clearly been styled nicely, and then messed up. She wore a black lace crop top and black leather skater skirt. She was kind of stooped over to hold a little girl by her left hand, and in her right she carried a baby carrier, a bulging baby bag hung from her left shoulder. The little girl had fiery red hair and big green eyes. She wore little pink overalls over a white t shirt. She bit her lip as she looked up at Priya._

 _'Hi, sweetie. What's your name?' Priya asked, smiling down at the little one._

 _The girl looked up at Jade, who nodded and smiled reassuringly, before speaking. 'Aria,' she whispered._

 _'That's a pretty name. How old are you, Aria?'_

 _Aria held up three fingers._

 _'Three! Wow! You're so big!' Priya stepped aside to let the girls into the house. 'Why don't you come through to the living room? I know some people who are dying to meet you.'_

 _Aria hesitated, feet stuck to the ground as Jade stepped forward. Jade looked back at her, raising her eyebrows. 'Beck will be in there.' Aria dropped Jade's hand and ran into the living room ahead of them. Jade and Priya laughed. Then, they glanced at each other awkwardly. They didn't think they'd ever shared a laugh before._

 _Jade followed Priya into the living room, too focused on the kids to be nervous about meeting Beck's grandma. Inside, Aria was hugging Beck's knees, while he ducked down to hug her back. Beck's father was sitting in his regular armchair, more focused on the hockey game than the arrival of his son's girlfriend and her unexpected guests. Beck greeted her with a peck on the lips over Aria's head, taking the baby carrier from her. Caly was asleep inside it, tucked under a green blanket._

 _'Uh, Jade this is my grandma, Mary. Grandma, this is Jade, my girlfriend.' He raised his voice slightly when addressing his grandma, and Jade noticed the hearing aid in her ear._

 _She smiled, 'It's nice to meet you, Mrs Oliver.'_

 _'Don't be silly, dear, I'm Mary to you. You're gonna marry my grandson one day.' Jade glanced at Beck, eyes wide. Did you tell her? Beck shook his head slightly. So his grandma was just that sure of their relationship. She wondered what Beck had told her about them._

 _Mistaking Jade's expression for alarm, Lewis, Beck's father, broke in. 'Now, Mom, that's a long way off,' he said, looking slightly perturbed. 'If it ever happens at all.' Jade surreptitiously checked that the chain her ring hung from was tucked under the neckline of her shirt._

 _When Priya went to put the finishing touches on dinner, Jade followed her to the kitchen. 'So what's for dinner?' she asked, hovering by the counter while Priya checked on whatever was in the oven. Priya grimaced, her back turned to Jade, it was so like Jade to be difficult._

 _'Vegetarian lasagne. Is that alright?' she challenged._

 _'Yeah, sure. I just wanted to make sure it was something Aria would eat.' Oh. That was… surprisingly thoughtful._

 _When Priya went back into the living room to call the family and guests to dinner, she found Beck and Jade playing with Aria, while Mary watched in delight, and Ian watched with an expression akin to shock._

 _When they were settling down to dessert, Caly started to cry. Priya was about to see to it herself, when she noticed Jade had immediately stood up. The girl walked over to the crying baby, lifting her out of her car seat. 'Hey, baby. I bet you're hungry, huh? Yeah, you are. Oh, it's okay. I have some really yummy food in my bag,' she cooed at the baby._

 _It was odd, seeing this side of her. Priya had never imagined Jade could possibly be good with kids. She was so brash and loud, to put it politely. Not to mention the fact that she never cared about anyone else's feelings. But she really seemed to care about these girls. You could tell from the way she looked at them, it was similar, now that Priya thought about it, to the way she looked at Beck. She didn't look at him quite as softly, but the love was the same. Perhaps she ought to give Jade another chance. She had noticed Jade was nervous meeting Mary, maybe she had just been nervous the first time she met her and Ian._

'I'm so happy for you two,' Priya gushed now. 'When are you coming home? Or are we going to have to book flights to England?'

'It's Scotland, Mom. And we plan on coming back before the baby's born. We're house hunting just now. And we've got another six months here at least to finish filming.' Beck explained. 'But we have an appointment at the doctor in two weeks, so we'll video chat again after that.'

Jade groaned. 'I have to go.' She rushed out of the frame, and Beck's parents heard the door slam behind her.

'She's been having a tough time with the morning sickness. I better go make sure she's okay. Talk to you later.' Beck shut the video chat window, and braced himself to go and hold his wife's hair back.


	5. Compromise

**A/N: This chapter is shorter than the others but I feel like with the last few chapters I've been forcing them a bit, so that they reach at least a thousand words, and I don't know why I was doing that. However, if you feel it was too short, let me know and I'll go back to longer chapters. Enjoy! Don't forget to review, it makes my whole day when I get the email that says someone reviewed.**

'This is ridiculous! If we can't even agree on this, how are we going to parent this kid for eighteen _years_?!' Jade threw her hands up.

Beck sighed, checking his rearview mirror as he merged onto the freeway. They'd been having this argument on and off since they'd gotten the appointment a little over a week ago. Now, they were driving to the clinic and they still hadn't come to an agreement. 'I want it to be a surprise, I don't see why we _have_ to know now.' He glanced at Jade when she huffed in response.

'We've been over this, everything is easier if we know. We know what we have to buy, we know how to decorate the nursery, the list goes on.'

'You literally just ran out of things to put on the list. Besides, we buy onesies, and we decorate the nursery with neutral colours – you hate pink anyway. _And_ you think the idea of colour-coding babies is ridiculous!'

'Cat and your mother are insisting on a baby shower when we get back to LA, people are gonna wanna know what to buy. And I'm not saying that we should buy everything pink or blue, I just think we should know. If nothing else, it narrows down the list of names.'

'We've already narrowed down the list of names. My mom always said that you can have a name picked out for months and if it doesn't suit the baby when they're born, it doesn't suit them.'

'They're babies, they're not gonna suit any name, they're wrinkly and pink, and all they do is scream.'

Beck smiled. 'Don't act like you're not excited to see them.'

'And that's another thing! You saying 'them' just keeps making me panic about having twins.'

Beck pulled into the parking lot outside the clinic ten minutes before their appointment. 'Okay, we need to make up our minds,' he stated, as he cut the engine. 'Why don't I leave the room while the midwife tells you?' he suggested.

'No. absolutely not. There's no way I could keep it a secret for five months, and we have a deal.' They'd made the deal years ago, after they'd gotten back together, that there would be no secrets between them _ever_.

'We could make an exception for this.'

'No. We can't start making exceptions for things, then it'll spiral.' Jade sighed. 'Okay, how about this? We find out for this one, since it's our first, and then next time we'll leave it as a surprise.'

Beck checked the clock on the dashboard, they had six minutes. They really ought to go inside and tell reception they were there. This was the best compromise they were going to get in that amount of time. And it was a promise that there would be at least one more kid. He'd have to remind her of that when she was in labour, he was sure she'd appreciate it.

Fifteen minutes later, Jade was laid out on the reclined doctor's chair with cold gel spread across her bump. The doctor was moving the scanner across her abdomen. On the screen, their baby was in blurry black and white, but it was unmistakably there. Jade sniffled, and tore her eyes away from the screen to look at her husband, whom she was relieved to notice was not managing to hold his tears in like she was. He squeezed her hand when he saw she was looking at him. 'That's our baby,' he said. 'That's inside you. An actual baby.' He had known, of course, but he couldn't explain how much different it was to see actual proof. 'And you can relax, because it's not twins.' They both laughed weakly.

'Would you like to know the sex of your baby?' the doctor asked.

Jade looked at Beck for confirmation. He nodded his head.

'Congratulations, Mr and Mrs Oliver, you're going to have a daughter.'

A little girl. He had always wanted a little girl, with his hair and Jade's beautiful eyes. They were going to have a little girl. The tears finally spilled out of Jade's eyes.


	6. Novelties Wear Off

**A/N: This chapter's up sooner than expected, mainly because I've written like five chapters this week. I'm planning on updating this fic about once a week, so this is like a bonus chapter. I'm not saying I'll never update more than once a week, but please don't be disappointed if it's only once. I was thinking I'd update on Tuesdays, but now I'm thinking maybe the weekend is better? Let me know if you have a preference. Also, if anyone has baby name ideas I will include them in an upcoming chapter, though I already know what the baby's name will actually be, I just need more for them to discuss. By the way, if you want you can follow me on tumblr bounceeffortandsnark, I can answer anonymous comments on there and you can send me baby name suggestions easier if you'd prefer.**

 **TLDR: Would you prefer updates in the middle of the week or at weekends? Give me baby name suggestions.**

They were resting Jade's swollen feet in a little coffee shop when it happened. Jade was in a bad mood. When she'd agreed to go shopping with Elle that weekend she hadn't really thought it through. Elle was tall and skinny and absolutely everything looked good on her, while Jade looked like a whale in everything she tried on. Now, to make matters worse, while they were taking a break, Elle was drinking coffee. Jade _loved_ coffee. Guess what she couldn't drink while she was pregnant? Yeah, coffee. At least she had cravings as an excuse to stuff her face with chocolate eclairs.

'I'm going to miss you so much when you back to the US,' Elle gushed. They had met filming the pilot of the show. Elle's character was Jade's character's best friend, and they had clicked immediately. Elle's character had been killed off early in the season, but she had stayed in Scotland, even though she lived in England, to spend as much time as possible with her castmates before they wrapped.

'Don't get mushy on me, Elle, my hormones will make me cry.'

'You know I'm coming out there after she's born.'

'Well, you better not think you're staying with us, we'll have enough going on with a new baby in the hou-' Jade cut off abruptly, sucking in a breath.

'What? What's wrong? Are you okay? Is it the baby?' Elle questioned, her alarm evident in her mouth.

Jade grabbed her friend's hand and pulled it to her stomach. At first Elle didn't feel anything, and then there it was – slight pressure beneath Jade's skin. The baby was kicking. Elle saw Jade's eyes were watering. 'I have to go home,' Jade said in a small voice.

Jade's text had Beck panicked. She had told him not to worry, but what was he supposed to think when his pregnant wife texted him to say she had cut her shopping trip short and he had to come home immediately.

However when he got home he found her smiling widely scratching between Tizzy's ears. The puppy had discovered her favourite napping spot a few weeks before – on top of Jade's bump – but right now she was fussing about, trying to get comfortable.

Jade beckoned Beck over when she saw him, and greeted him with a kiss. She guided his hand to her belly, right under where Tizzy was pawing at, and Beck realised what had upset the puppy.

Every few seconds, there was a thump. The baby was kicking. Their baby was kicking. She had little legs, and little feet, and she was using them to assault her mother. Beck smiled. 'Does it hurt?'

'No, but it's not comfortable.' Jade laughed. 'And Tizzy's certainly not happy about it.'

'I guess she'll just have to break in that dog bed we spent a fortune on when we got her.'

A few months later, Beck woke at four in the morning to see Jade's feet on the pillow beside him. He propped himself up on his elbows and rubbed his eyes. In the dim light that shone through their purple curtains, he saw Jade's head was laid on a folded over bit of the duvet at the bottom of the bed, her eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling.

'Babe? What are you doing?'

Jade glared at him. 'You did this to me,' she growled through clenched teeth.

Beck crawled over to join her in lying upside down on the bed. He reached over her body to rest his hand on her baby bump, on the strip of skin that was visible between her pyjama pants and where her t-shirt had ridden up.

They lay there in silence for a while before Beck felt it. Baby was kicking. She was much stronger than she used to be, and lately it felt like she didn't let up. When they were at work Jade would sit on her black chair between takes clutching her stomach, at home she lay awake at night trying to find a comfortable position.

'It'll all be worth it, you know,' he whispered in her ear.

'That doesn't help me right now,' Jade grumbled. 'How am I supposed to fly like this?'

Their flights back to LA were booked for two weeks ahead, one down to London, then on to New York, where they'd stay with Jade's sister for a night to break it up, and then from New York to LA. They were staying with Beck's parents for a week while the decorators finished up on their house. Honestly, Beck was worried the doctor wouldn't give Jade the okay to fly, but he didn't want to give her anything else to stress about.

'I bet Cora will be a great flier.'

'Nah,' was Jade's only response.

They'd been trying out names this way, just randomly referring to the baby as something, to see what fit. Cora did not. They had talked about baby names before, back in high school, when it was a distant imagining of their future. Back then, they'd come to decisions easily, but there was far less pressure when there was no baby. And they both knew celebrity baby names were judged mercilessly.

Then the little brat began attacking Jade's insides again. 'Maybe we should name her Kicker, since that's _all she ever does_!'

'She hasn't been born yet, babe, what else do you want her to do?' Beck asked.

Jade sighed as the discomfort subsided. 'I fucking hate you.'


	7. You Don't Know What You've Got

**A/N: This chapter is, I'm sure, full of medical inaccuracies, but oh well. Hope you like it. If you do (or don't) please review!**

Their flight landed at JFK at 2am local time, which meant by the time they got to Ryan's apartment, it was closer to 4am. They were both exhausted, Jade more so, for obvious reasons, but travelling was stressful even at the best of times. Not that this was a bad time, it was just an inconvenient time. Jade had only about eight weeks before she was due to deliver, but the pregnancy had been relatively uncomplicated so far, so the doctor had given her the go ahead to fly.

Ryan wasn't best pleased with them, to say the least. 'Did you seriously have to book a flight that landed at 2am?!' she snapped at Beck as she helped him heave their suitcases through the front door. When they'd rang the doorbell, Beck had been a little nervous, Ryan was a lot like her sister in terms of temperament, but unlike Jade, she didn't have a soft spot for Beck. Ryan had greeted her younger sister with a hug and a big smile, Jade had went on ahead to flop down on the sofa, and Ryan had turned on him.

Naturally, everything was Beck's fault. Never mind that he'd suggested they book an earlier but Jade had said she'd rather stay up until 4 than get up at 4. Never mind that he'd then suggested a flight for the next day that would get them in at 10pm, Jade didn't want to spend another day in this god forsaken country – by that time the winter was creeping in on them and she was getting grumpy – so they had to leave the day after their wrap party. No, Jade was Ryan's baby sister, and as such he was never going to be good enough for her. Now she was pregnant which meant she couldn't be blamed for a single thing.

'It's good to see you, too, Ryan,' Beck replied, smiling sarcastically. Ryan just rolled her eyes. Walking through the apartment, still in the short satin slip she'd worn to bed – Ryan was not modest in the slightest – she pointed out the bathroom, the guest bedroom where Beck and Jade would be sleeping, and the kitchen, then announced she was going to bed, and promptly left them alone.

Beck dragged the cases into their room while Jade got ready for bed. She was already curled up under the sheets, her back to his side of the bed, when he finally joined her. Sliding in next to her, he wrapped his arm around her waist, laying his hand protectively on her belly. A few moments later, when she moved her hand to intertwine her fingers with his, he realised she was still awake. Looking at her face, he noticed her eyes were wide open, and she looked almost anxious. Jade had been quiet since the plane, but he had just put it down to fatigue.

'Babe? What's wrong?' he asked, concerned.

His concern turned to full-blown alarm when Jade's eyes suddenly filled with tears and she let out a small sob. From there it escalated, her tears flowing rapidly down her cheeks, sobs ripping through her body, making it difficult to breathe. Questioning her in this state was pointless, he'd learned that a long time ago – back in high school unprompted emotional outbursts like this were not uncommon. He rubbed her belly soothingly and pressed kisses across the back of her shoulders, until she finally calmed down.

'She hasn't kicked since the plane took off,' Jade breathed, her lip quivering.

No. No this couldn't be happening.

Beck's hand stilled, his lips paused at the base of Jade's neck. Their baby hadn't moved in ten hours. Ten whole hours. Lately, Jade had hardly been able to sleep because of all the kicking, almost every hour, sometimes lasting a whole hour. And now she was saying she hadn't felt anything for _ten hours_.

Jade rolled over to face her husband seeing her own fear mirrored in his face. They lay there in silence, both with one hand pressed to Jade's bump, praying they'd feel something, anything, for hours. Every so often Beck would duck down to speak to the baby, whispering things into Jade's skin, pressed so close she could feel the movement of his lips.

Neither of them slept a wink, and Jade was beginning to imagine how she'd explain this to her sister, having to ask her to recommend a doctor, trying not to show her how worried she was.

The sun was rising, brightly shining through the crack in the blackout curtains, when Jade suddenly got up. Beck, though not asleep, had gotten used to their position, so he started at Jade's sudden movement. 'What is it? Did you feel something?' he asked, trying not to get his hopes up.

Jade shook her head. 'I'm going for a bath. I can't lie here any longer.'

Jade had been in the adjoining bathroom for thirty minutes. Beck hadn't moved from his spot on the bed, listening helplessly to his wife's sobs through the wall. She needed to be alone, he had to respect that, even if it was killing him.

But then she shouted.

Oh no. Oh god no. He didn't know what he'd do if he went in there and saw blood.

He dashed across the room, tripping on the jeans he'd discarded on the floor the night before, and practically fell into the bathroom. Jade was still crying, but now she was smiling too, both arms wrapped around her stomach. She reached out to him impatiently pulling both of his hands to touch her. _Thump, thump_. She was there. She was kicking. She was okay.

Beck was so relieved he began to laugh, dropping to his knees on the hard tiled floor, he lowered his head to Jade's bump. He kissed her there, again and again, while Jade laughed wetly, rubbing one hand over her stomach, and gripping Beck's hair with the other.

The water grew cold and Jade's skin went wrinkly, and still they stayed there, wrapped up in their love and relief. Until Ryan's fist thudded against the bedroom door. 'If you guys are screwing in my bath, you're cleaning it yourselves!'


	8. Imagining a Future

**A/N: I'm not entirely happy with this chapter, but I picked up a few extra shifts this week so I didn't have time to write anything else. So, here is one of my back up chapters. Quick reminder: Connor was Jade's brother Hunter's husband, he died when Jade was a senior in high school. No one wrote a review on the last chapter and that made me really sad, so please if you like this one, please** _ **please**_ **leave a review. Hope you like it!**

Beck pulled into the pebble driveway outside the house. The path from the driveway to the front door wound through a garden with a lush green lawn, colourful flower beds, and well-manicured hedges. The walls of the house were white, and there were hanging plants at flower boxes below each window. It was beautiful. They had chosen well.

This was their new house in Los Angeles, the house they'd bring the baby back to, the house they'd raise their children in. They were meant to be meeting their interior designer there today, to make sure they were happy with everything. He had been Connor's business partner and Hunter had put them in touch. He was highly sought after and had only come to LA because Jade was a family friend.

It felt weird to knock on what was technically their own front door. Matt greeted them in the two storey entrance hall, grinning widely. He greeted each of them with a hug, stretching a little to reach his arms around Jade's now considerable bump. 'So what do you want to see first?' he asked eagerly, bouncing on his heels.

Beck and Jade looked at each other. 'Tessa's room?' Jade suggested.

'Yes to the room, no to Tessa,' Beck replied.

'Yeah, it's too stuffy,' Jade agreed. 'I think Britain rubbed off on me.' She led the way up the stairs, and then stopped on the landing to let Matt show them the way to the nursery.

Her door was painted white, with green vines with leaves and flowers around the edges. 'I left the space in the middle in case you wanted to write her name on the door or something. You know, once you decide on a name,' Matt explained.

Inside, the room was even better than they'd imagined when they were discussing how they wanted it to look. The walls were painted cream and the floor was polished dark wood covered with a thick cream rug. On the walls there were more hand-painted green vines and lilac and blue flowers – Jade had argued vehemently against pink and yellow. But the masterpiece was the ceiling.

In Britain, Jade had discovered her love of roads that were lined with trees. Not neatly trimmed trees, trees that grew tall and bent over the road, creating a tunnel-like canopy of leaves and branches over the road. When Jade was feeling stressed, she'd go on drives down country roads like that, or better yet, make Beck drive, so that she could focus her attention on the sunlight filtering through the leaves in the summer.

That was what had inspired the ceiling. There was a glass panel a few inches below the ceiling that spanned the whole room. It was painted with leaves in different shades of green, so that when the spotlights were on it mimicked the speckled sunlight on those roads.

The crib and changing table were white stained wood, and there was a rocking chair sitting by the window.

'It's beautiful, Matt. Thank you.'

'I'll leave you two to look around. If you need me I'll be in the backyard, your sun loungers are like laying on clouds.'

The house was old-fashioned, but the furniture was sleek. Most of the rooms were mainly black and white, but they had splashes of colour dotted around. The house was large, they had the money, and they liked space. The kitchen was huge, with an island and a breakfast nook. There was a separate dining room. There was a sitting room and a separate family room, and a full-size bathroom on the first floor. Upstairs there were six bedrooms, each with their own en suite, and two offices. On the top floor was the master suite, where Beck and Jade's bedroom, bathroom and the nursery were located. All the rooms had large windows, letting in a lot of natural light, which offset the dark colours they tended to favour.

It was odd, looking around this house they had never set foot in before. They had seen pictures online, and sent Beck's parents to view it in person just in case there was something wrong that the photographs didn't show. They had kept up steady communication with Matt throughout the design and decorating process. But seeing it in person, it was odd how quickly it felt like home.

Beck could imagine Jade in the rocking chair in the baby's room, nursing their daughter as she drifted in and out of sleep. Jade could see Beck playing with their kids in the backyard. Beck could see them teaching their daughter to swim in the pool, and her sitting on the countertop watching her parents cook. Jade could imagine writing in her office, the heavy door and thick walls shutting out any distractions. She could picture their daughter doing her homework at the kitchen table, and helping Aunt Cat bake cookies. Beck could see a chubby toddler throwing things for Tizzy to fetch in the yard, and squealing with delight when the dog has to dive in the pool to catch it, and then shaking all the water off on her.

They could imagine it all, and they couldn't wait.


	9. Baby Name Blues

**A/N: So this chapter is super late and I'm sorry about that. I've had it written for a while but I wasn't happy enough with it to post it. Last week I got inspired to write a Bade Hogwarts AU so that took up my writing time last week, and then this week I fell into another fandom and another ship so I just didn't feel like writing Bade. I am sorry and I will try to update weekly from now on. Remember to review!**

They'd had variations of this conversation a hundred times, but it still hadn't come to any kind of conclusion. They were sitting on the cream leather seats in the first class section of a plane somewhere above the Atlantic. The problem was that once the decision was made, it couldn't be unmade, and their child would be stuck with it for the rest of their life.

'Caroline.'

'I like Caro. But Caroline feels too Southern Belle.'

'Louise?'

'Ugh. No. Persephone.'

'We are not naming our daughter after the goddess of death.'

'She's the queen of the Underworld and the goddess of flowers. It's badass _and_ cute. The perfect name.'

'Diana.'

'Willow.'

'Annabelle.'

'Lorelei?'

'I can't hear that name and not think of _Gilmore Girls_.'

They were laying on the rug in the nursery, staring at the faux leaf canopy, trying to find some inspiration for a baby name. There was a list now, though it was short and in no particular order, and they were no closer to picking a favourite than they had been a month ago.

'What about flower names? Ivy?'

'I like Ivy, add it to the list. Violet?'

'Jasmine?'

'Jessamine.'

'Annabelle.'

'You said that already. Persephone.'

' _You_ said _that_ already.'

'Well, she already has cousins named Ariadne and Calypso, and the dog's name is Tisiphone, technically.'

'We are not picking our baby's name to fit in with the dog's. And I can't believe you got Hunter to agree to those.'

'Ariadne and Calypso are great names. So is Persephone. And Megara.'

'I could get behind Megara. Add it to the list. Vanessa? We could shorten to Nessa.'

'I like Nessa but I'm not mad about _Va_ nessa.'

'Juliette? With the fancy extra T and E that you like.'

'Hmm. Maybe. I feel like Juliette only fits a certain kind of person, though, you know?'

'We could go the Will Smith route and name her Becca, and then our son could be called Jayden.'

'You're lucky I know you're joking, or you'd be getting hit with divorce papers tomorrow. We couldn't just name her Nessa, could we? Oooh, or Nessarose, like the Wicked Witch of the East in Wicked! That would kinda fit since people called me the Wicked Witch of the West.'

'It's cute, but I don't like made up names that are easily traced. You know, like Khaleesi or whatever.'

They're in the car on the way back from a birthing class. Jade thinks the whole endeavour is stupid, labour was going to hurt like hell no matter how she breathes, so just keep the pain killers coming and wait it out.

'What about Nyssa? That's a name in its own right.'

'I like that, but I thought we wanted something we could shorten?'

Jade groaned, letting her head loll back until it hit the headrest and she was staring at the glass roof of the car. 'You know what I wish I could shorten? This pregnancy.' She started rubbing her swollen belly. 'I think you like it in there too much, Nyssa. Is it warm and quiet? Are you comfortable? Because I'm not. Mommy's not comfortable at all. Mommy wishes you'd hurry up and decide it's time to come out. You're already nearly a month late, you know? Daddy wants to meet you. Mommy wants her back to stop hurting. Mommy wants to be able to wear normal people clothes, and high heels, and drink coffee again.'

Beck laughed. 'Don't listen to your mommy, Annie, she's excited to meet you too.'

'Yeah I am.' She grinned. 'But I'm more excited for coffee.'

A baby name book was balanced on top of Jade's bump, time was ticking on and they didn't want their baby to be without a name when she was born. 'What about…' Jade trailed off as she flicked through the pages. 'Harper? Or Harlow? It means army, that's so badass.'

'I like it, add it to the list.' The list just kept getting longer.

'Oooh, I like Zara, it sounds badass but guess what it means.'

'How would I possibly guess that?' Beck smiled at his wife.

'Princess, or 'to blossom', depending on whether you take it from the Hebrew or the Arabic.'

'That's really pretty. I like that. I like that a lot.'


	10. Perfect

**A/N: I wanted to get this chapter just right, and I went through a lot of different ways of doing it. I toyed with the idea of writing like a gossip magazine article announcing the birth, which I might still do. This story started as something I wrote when I was getting writer's block on my multi-chapter stories, but somewhere along the way this became more of a focus. As such, it feels like I'm obliged to write it, and that's like a chore, it just sucks all the fun out of it. Don't worry, I will keep the story going, but the updates might be more sporadic. Hope you enjoy this chapter! I also hope you like the name I chose, I've had that as the name of their first daughter in my mind for at least a year. Remember to review!**

She was perfect. Absolutely perfect. Bathed in the golden morning light and fast asleep in his arms. Sure, she was a brighter shade of pink than the blanket she was swaddled in, and less than an hour ago he'd watched her practically rip her mother apart, but she was perfect.

And she wouldn't exist without them. They had made a baby. An entire person now existed where an hour ago she hadn't. They had made a perfect, tiny little human. He'd had nearly ten months to get used to the idea but he realised now he hadn't been prepared at all.

So far she appeared to take after Beck. Her skin, though pink just now, was obviously darker than Jade's, and her tuft of inky black hair was clearly Beck's. She hadn't opened her eyes yet, but Beck hoped she had Jade's eyes. Jade's eyes were possibly his favourite part of her body. Even when everything else about her was saying she was angry, her eyes never lied, their mischievous twinkle almost never went out. She couldn't lie to him, even if she tried, which she never would, her eyes would give her away, he could read them like a book. He really hoped the baby had those eyes.

There was a time, just out of high school, when Beck had worried that his life had peaked there. The girl he had loved for nearly five years had agreed to marry him, he'd been cast in a recurring role in a well-known television show, life was pretty great. For a while, he had worried that it wouldn't get any better than that, that he'd never be anything more than that. And look at him now. He almost couldn't believe the way his life had unfolded. He'd met the love of his life when he was thirteen years old. He'd known what his calling in life was before that. He was a successful actor, having had a supporting role in an insanely popular Netflix series for six seasons, and he had a starring role in a movie lined up for early next year. He was a husband to the best woman he had ever known, and now he was a father.

He was sitting in the armchair next to Jade's hospital bed, the baby cradled in his arms. Jade was taking this time while the baby was quiet to have a well-deserved rest. Her labour had been long, over 16 hours, but thankfully uncomplicated.

In an instance of insane irony, Beck had been on the phone with their doctor, scheduling an appointment to induce labour the next week, when Jade walked up to him clutching her belly and panting, and screamed at him to take her to the hospital. He hadn't imagined then that the screaming would last another seventeen hours. But it was all worth it now, looking down at his beautiful, perfect daughter.

The early morning light was streaming in the window behind him, casting Jade in golden light, but as usual, she didn't stir. He wondered if that would change with a baby in the house, or if night-time changing and feeding and cuddling would be left to him. He wondered which of them would be the one to hear her first word, see her first steps, teach her to ride a bike. He hoped it would be both of them, though he knew that would be nigh on impossible. He didn't want to miss a moment, but he didn't want Jade to, either. She was _theirs._

And she was entirely dependent on them. That was a terrifying thought. Newborns had those soft spots on their heads that were like little self-destruct buttons! She'd need them to feed her, and change her, and save her from monsters under the bed, and help her with her homework, and teach her to drive! Oh God, what if they screwed up? Anything they did could affect her for the rest of her life!

Just then, her tiny little fists began to clench and unclench. Uh-oh, it looked like quiet time was over. At the first noise of distress from her daughter, Jade's eyes fluttered open. Seeing Beck holding her on the chair, she smiled. She reached her arms out for Beck to pass the baby to her. She probably wanted fed, she'd been alive for a whole hour, after all. As Jade held the baby to her breast, Beck held her hand, and the two of them just looked at each other. Jade loved moments like this. When they just gazed into each other's eyes, or held each other, and didn't say anything. It was times like this she felt most loved. And now, with their daughter between them, that love was stronger than ever.

When the baby had had her fill, Jade adjusted her position so that their little girl was lying on the bed beside her. And lying there between her parents, with the soft morning light illuminating the small hospital room, Nerissa Rose Oliver opened her eyes for the first time to reveal a brilliant sparkling blue, exactly the same as Jade's. They were going to be just fine. She was perfect.

 **A/N: Anyone who can tell me what Disney movie I got Nerissa's name from can send me a prompt and I will write a oneshot! You have to PM me though, because if you put it in a review then everyone will know and I can only do it for the first person**.


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